Iceland is a country that has abundance of fishes, being an island in the Atlantic sea. It is the second biggest fishery behind Norway and cod seems to be the largest catch. The fishing business has helped to catapult Iceland to be one of the richest country in Europe. That is, until the 2008-2011 Icelandic financial crisis where all the three major banks in the country collapsed, the British government seized £4bn assets of the banks and Icelandic government over statements that the accounts of UK depositors could not be guaranteed, and a IMF and Nordic countries bailout was needed. Despite the crisis, fishing remains the country's biggest industry.
It was such a joy to be having fresh seafood in our meals during the recent trip to Iceland. I was especially delighted to have found canned cod liver in a restaurant by the Old Harbor called the Sea Baron (oh, and dulse flakes too but more of that later). Cod liver is packed with Vitamin A, D and Omega-3 essential fatty acids, just like cod liver oil that is sold in every health store except that this is in its original form, unprocessed, and certainly no concerns of toxicity due to the higher level of Vitamin A that is usually the case in many brands of cod liver oil.
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| I stocked up with a few of these cod liver cans from Iceland |
Cod liver is healthy for the following reasons:
* It contains pre-formed Vitamin A, which means that once consumed, it is straight away used by the body. Provitamin A needs to be converted by your body.
* A source of DHA (DocosaHexaenoic Acid) and EPA (EicosoPentaenoic Acid). These are the more important two out of the three varieties of Omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetarians usually stick to chia seeds, flax seeds, dark leafy greens like kale, and walnuts as sources for ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid), the third type of Omega-3 that is able to be converted into DHA and EPA by the body. However, there are studies that humans don't convert ALA found in plants to DHA and EPA efficiently, hence it is recommended to consume animal foods that contain them.
* Vitamin D, especially important during the winter months when you don't get enough sunlight or work indoors most of the time.
* A source of DHA (DocosaHexaenoic Acid) and EPA (EicosoPentaenoic Acid). These are the more important two out of the three varieties of Omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetarians usually stick to chia seeds, flax seeds, dark leafy greens like kale, and walnuts as sources for ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid), the third type of Omega-3 that is able to be converted into DHA and EPA by the body. However, there are studies that humans don't convert ALA found in plants to DHA and EPA efficiently, hence it is recommended to consume animal foods that contain them.
* Vitamin D, especially important during the winter months when you don't get enough sunlight or work indoors most of the time.
There is a concern of the mercury level in seafood due to environment pollutants. This is a valid concern but should not be a reason altogether to avoid taking cod liver oil, especially if you are deficient in Omega-3 fats. Choose a good brand of cod liver oil or fish oil, and note where they are sourced from. Be sure that the fish are from ocean that are not heavily polluted. Email the manufacturer to find out. I did email the manufacturer of the cod liver product I bought in Iceland. I was immediately replied to with an assurance that their cod liver comes from wild Icelandic fish stocks. They were used to be produced from raw materials coming from the Baltic sea but the production has stopped due to the high volumes of dioxin in cod liver in the region [1] - I am quoting this from the email word by word. So it's a relief to know that I'm not consuming toxin, not to mention that cod liver actually tastes really good!
It's a pity that I cannot get hold of more fresh and contaminant-free cod liver in UK. Fortunately, there is a brand of cod liver oil/fish oil recommended by Dr Ben Kim. The Carlson's brand seems good, with the ratio between vitamin A and vitamin D of about 2 to 1 so there is no concern of over-consumption of vitamin A causing toxic in our body tissues. Their cod liver oil and fish oil are also tested on a regular basis by an independent, FDA-approved laboratory and has been determined to be free of mercury, cadmium, lead and other pollutants. I am thinking of getting it once running out of the cod liver as I'm pretty sure that I'm not getting enough sunshine and I do need to increase my intake of Omega 3 as compared to Omega 6.
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